Nicklas Backstrom

The Flames welcome the Minnesota Wild to the Dome tonight for the team’s first of five meetings this season. Neither team has got off to a particular good start as both teams are on the outside looking in, on the top eight in the West.

With a 1-1 score at the start of the third period, the Caps scored twice on the visiting Flyers and managed to hang on to it for the first time in three games, with the final score 3-2 in the home team's favor.

The win took the Caps from 15th in the East to 13th. Although it's not a huge leap, not being last anymore is just fine.

This game, a home game against a rivalry team after two come-from-ahead losses was a must-win game early in the season. The Flyers had been struggling similarly in the first weeks of the new season.

Spots that were problematic for the Caps started to look a lot better.

An exhausted Capitals team hosts the Flyers after their 3-2 loss in Toronto last night. The Flyers are fresh after having two full days off. They will look to bounce back after struggling in Tampa and New York. What better place than in D.C. where the Caps are among the worst teams in hockey right now.

When the Minnesota Wild host the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, January 19, it will be the most important regular season game in franchise history. The Wild faithful have been eagerly awaiting the end of the lockout perhaps more than any other fan base. Finally, they'll see Zach Parise and Ryan Suter in live action.

The opening night not only births a new era of Wild hockey, but also culminates “Hockey Day Minnesota,” an annual celebration of the game in the State of Hockey. Excitement is at an all time high. Thousands have already packed The Xcel Energy Center... for th...

The New York Islanders, at least, will have a quick turnaround after one of their worst performance’s of the season. After a dismal 3-1 loss to the Nashville Predators, the
Islanders travel to the nation’s capital to play the red hot Washington Capitals.

Washington, winners of seven straight at the Verizon Center, come into the contest off a 2-1 home victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. They haven’t trailed in a game at home since December 13th. In 22 games since Bruce Boudreau was replaced by Dale Hunter, the Capitals have gone 12-9-1 playing themselves into a 1st place tie with the Florida Panthers in the Southeast Division.

The New York Islanders will take on the Minnesota Wild tonight. The Islanders have been playing well lately, staying in every game they’ve played since breaking their long losing streak almost a month ago. Despite a 4-0-2 stretch which saw the young Isles climb back up the standings, their most recent games, regardless of their improved play, have not yielded the type of success they have needed in the standings. They have walked away from recent games where 2 points was well within their grasp.

There are many stages to a rebuild, and the Islanders seem to be on the right track for a slow, steady, and successful one. We saw this season during their long losing streak, that unlike last season when they took the ice for each game with a look of despair, that this team comes out of the locker room hungry and expecting to win every time they play.

The next lesson that this young group needs to learn is simple: Finish Games.

After a hot 7-0 start to the season, the Washington Capitals and their sky-high expectations were off and running.

Then the rest of the league caught up, sending the Capitals into tailspin searching for answers, a tailspin that included a 5-7-1 November record, with just one game left on Tuesday.

The scapegoat of the tailspin is coach Bruce Boudreau, who was relived of his coaching duties early Monday. Former Caps captain Dale Hunter has been named head coach, he was present at practice on Monday afternoon.

Boudreau will be a tough act to follow, however, as he led the Caps to the playoffs in each of his four full sea...

There wasn't much love lost between the Phoenix Coyotes and Washington Capitals when they last met on Valentine's Day, as Phoenix took the win by a count of 3-2. Washington is currently in the middle of a 3-6-1 stretch of ten that most recently saw them come up flat in Toronto, scoring only one goal against the Leafs' seven. Phoenix's road trip thus far has been much of the opposite, as the Flyers were their only loss since they last left Jobing.com Arena.

Washington maintains a winning record at home (6-1-1), but five of the eight last games featuring them and the Coyotes have been decided by only one goal. And as good as Mike Smith has been t...